In the Light of Shadows
by TheRealEvanSG
Summary: Shikamaru wasn't sure when he first noticed. An unusual interest in his mother's cooking; a preference for long, straight hair over his father's pineapple cut; and a clear disdain for his own body… but once the pieces were finally put together, it couldn't have been clearer. Shikamaru's troublesome little brother was actually his troublesome little sister. Transgender, Nara OC/SI.
1. There's Something Off with Shikari

**In the Light of Shadows**

**Chapter 1 - There's Something Off with Shikari**

Shikamaru Nara always felt there was something off with his little brother, Shikari. He just hadn't been quite sure what it was about the adorable, troublesome boy that was different.

Shikari Nara had always been an interesting brother. He was shy around strangers, but energetic at home. He was a bundle of pure joy and eagerness that made Shikamaru want nothing more than to protect him at any cost. The obvious love the boy displayed for his older brother helped with this, too. It was easy to want to protect someone who so eagerly sought you out for love and affection. However, one interesting quirk of his was that he didn't have the Nara's usual laziness. Rather, he always seemed eager to do things, supremely interested in the world around him. Their dad often joked that if it wasn't for that jet black hair and narrow, brown eyes, plus the fact that he was pretty much a child prodigy, he wouldn't have been able to tell Shikari was a Nara at all.

The older of the Nara brothers noticed another odd thing about Shikari when he was three: at times, when Shikamaru happened to look into the boy's eyes, he felt as though he were looking into the eyes of someone a good bit older than just two-years-old. Some of his mannerisms were most assuredly not those of an average kid, either. He moved with confidence, sure of each step he took. Even Shikamaru had been clumsy at first with his walking and general movements until his father had taught him how to walk like an adult. Shikari didn't need to be told anything. In fact, it seemed as though from the first day he was physically able, Shikari stood up and walked around like he'd been doing it for years. Dad and Mom had been shocked but very pleased.

However, the same could not be said for speech. As much of a natural at moving around that Shikari was, speaking absolutely failed him. Oh, he could make out sounds and such just fine, but he was capable of only a scattering of words – like "Thank you!" or "Yes!" and "No!" He simply had a very tough time picking up language beyond the absolute most basic, everyday words, it seemed. Reading turned out just as bad, if not worse than actually speaking; Shikari simply gazed at the page blankly, a complete lack of understanding painted on his face.

Shikamaru found all this very confusing. How could someone so obviously intelligent be so _bad_ at learning how to talk?

One more thing – Shikari seemed prone to having nightmares unfortunately often. Some of them wouldn't be too bad. He'd shiver a little in his crib, then later his bed, and whimper a bit, and then he'd stop and sleep soundly the rest of the night. But some would be horrifyingly strong, so bad that the poor kid would snap awake, screaming himself hoarse and saying something in what could be mistaken for incoherent babbling, but almost sounded like another language to Shikamaru.

Also, although Shikari was normally rather brave despite being so shy – he commonly stuck up for his friends when they were being picked on, like when people made fun of Choji – when people made fun of _him_, he'd grow quiet and melancholy. And other kids seemed to like making fun of him a lot. For reasons unknown to Shikamaru, they'd call him "sissy," and commonly say things like "you hit like a girl!" Shikari didn't socialize much outside of Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino before school because of this.

Well, Shikamaru _would_ say these reasons were unknown to him, if he hadn't been picking up on some select _other _strange oddities about Shikari.

Although Shikaku – their father – would try to make Shikari wear his hair up in the classic Nara male pineapple style, the boy seemed to dislike this, unlike his older brother, who wore it with pride. Instead, Shikari stubbornly took the hair tie supposed to be used for the pineapple style and tied his hair into a ponytail with it. It made him look rather feminine somehow, although this may also have been a result of how the boy's young face had yet to grow into a noticeably masculine shape. Also, if he didn't wear a ponytail, Shikari would simply let it hang down his back, making him look even _more_ feminine. These were the days he was picked on the most for being a "sissy."

"They'll never accept me," a tearful Shikari told Shikamaru one night after one of these incidents, while Shikamaru, somewhat lost on what exactly to do or say, awkwardly hugged him.

Shikari also preferred more feminine things than masculine things, Shikamaru started realizing around seven years old. Instead of playing Shogi with their father, Shikari preferred to spend time cooking and practicing his calligraphy, which he was still less than average at even at age six, with their mother, Yoshino. He would help her around the house even without being asked to, whereas Shikamaru and Shikaku took a fair deal of convincing to help out (although this did make Shikamaru a bit guilty).

He voiced these observations to Shikari one day.

"You really take after Mom," he randomly spoke up. It was late afternoon on a summer weekday; the air was still warm from the heat of the day, but cool enough that cloud watching didn't make Shikamaru sweat his body weight's worth in water.

Shikari, cloud watching next to him, blinked and glanced over at his older brother, smiling softly. "You think so?" he asked, blushing. "You take after Dad, you know. Sometimes the only way I can tell you apart is your age!"

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head, grinning. "Troublesome brother," he chuckled, although he noticed that Shikari's smile fell a little when he said this. Shikamaru blinked as he realized this… in fact, come to think of it, any time he was referred to as their dad or mom's son, or Shikamaru's brother, he would look a little strange. Shikamaru frowned, pondering this. Did he simply not like being a part of the family?

"What's wrong, Shikamaru?"

The older brother blinked. Apparently, Shikari had picked up on his concerns, or at least that he was concerned. The kid was so damn observant, way more than the average kid. Shikamaru smiled and ruffled his long hair. "Don't worry about it."

Shikari pouted at him, his hair now a bit messier than a second ago. He patted it back into place, looking unconvinced that it wasn't worth worrying about. "'Kay."

Another thing Shikamaru noticed happened about two months later. Early in the morning, before anyone usually got up, Shikamaru happened to randomly wake up early. Cursing the universe, he sat up, yawning, and stumbled into the hall to go to the bathroom. With a blink, he realized that Shikari's bedroom was open, and there was a light coming from the upstairs bathroom. Shikamaru started to head over to the bathroom to ask what Shikari was doing up so early – usually he slept in even later than his older brother – and stopped in surprise, mouth open when he saw the kid in what looked like girl's clothing. Shikari stared longingly in the mirror. Then he seemed to feel eyes on him and glanced Shikamaru's way; without really understanding why, although perhaps it was because he felt rather like he was intruding on something private, Shikamaru quickly hid behind the wall before he could be seen. He then silently tip toed back into his room, shutting the door so Shikari wouldn't realize he was up.

Shikamaru sat down, wide awake and very confused. Why was Shikari wearing girl's clothing? And why did he have that look of so much longing? The eldest Nara sibling felt as though the answer was right on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't quite grasp it.

A week later, Yoshino took Shikari down to the library with her to look at some books; Shikari had finally gotten better at reading last year, and now that he understood the words he was looking at, it seemed as though he wanted to just spend _ages_ in the library, reading anything at his level that he could get his hands on. When they'd left, Shikamaru stole into Shikari's room and opened up his desk of drawers, searching through them for the clothing he'd seen. He found nothing. Blinking, he looked through the closet next to his younger brother's bed – nothing.

Where was he keeping that clothing?

As he was thinking over this question, Shikamaru happened to spot a slightly loose plank in the floor. Raising an eyebrow, he walked over and lifted it up to reveal an empty space beneath it… one stuffed with a good few girly shirts, pants, shorts, even some bras and panties.

How long had this been happening? How had they never noticed it before?

"Shikamaru?" a weak voice gulped.

Shikamaru blinked in surprise, stood straight, and looked up to see Shikari staring, pale-faced, at him. "Eh?" Shikamaru gaped. "I thought you were going with Mom to the library!"

"I had an upset stomach so I ended up coming back before we got too far," Shikari grunted, and yeah, that would explain why he was holding his stomach painfully. "B-But… you saw…?"

Shikamaru looked down at the clothing, then looked back up at Shikari guiltily. "Y-Yeah. What… Did you buy all these?"

Shikari hesitated, then nodded shyly. "Um. Yeah."

He had so many questions, but his mouth opened and then shut, unable to ask any of them. At last, he asked, "Why?"

"Because…" Shikari hesitated some more, then squeezed his eyes shut, "d-don't be mad?"

"Uh, okay?" Shikamaru stared, now worried.

"I-I'm a girl," Shikari said in a very small voice.

Shikamaru blinked. Of all the things his younger brother – uh, younger sister? – could have said, that was _by far_ the one he'd least expected. His brain short-circuited a moment as he remembered bathing together with Shikari when they were even younger. "But… your body is…"

"My body is _wrong_," Shikari spat vehemently, eyes flashing angrily, though Shikamaru somehow felt this was less directed at him and more directed at Shikari's own body. "I _hate_ it!"

"O-Oh," Shikamaru said, blinking, not really sure what to say to that. "So… you mean, like, you view yourself as a girl?"

"I _am_ a girl," Shikari insisted, stumbling to his bed and collapsing in it, wincing and groaning as his stomach gurgled. "My body's not what it's supposed to be!"

Shikamaru tilted his head. He didn't quite get it, but he blinked and shrugged. That certainly explained _a lot_. It was like the final puzzle piece had fallen into place, the final piece on the Shogi board cleared revealing the path to victory. "Oh." _They'll never accept me_. The long hair. The cooking, and the emulation of their mother. The sadness when referred to as their parents' son or Shikamaru's brother. "Okay."

Shikari stared at him. "Okay?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru shrugged again, nodding. "It doesn't matter much to me whether you're a girl or a guy, really. You're still my little bro…" He paused, then tilted his head. "Little sister."

Shikari stared in surprise, then his… no, her lower lip quivered… and before Shikamaru quite knew it, the girl was crying, launching herself at Shikamaru and hugging him tight.

"T-_Thank you!_"

Shikamaru jumped, then blushed and patted his little bro – sister on the head. "N-No problem." Then he sighed. "You thought I'd hate you for this? Is that why you hid it from all of us? You thought we wouldn't like you just because you're a girl and not what your body is?"

Shikari hiccupped, then silently nodded, burying his… no, her face in Shikamaru's shoulder. "Y-Yeah," she whimpered. "All of the other kids… and a lot of the villagers… somehow they c-can see it in me, I think, and they hate me because of it… I c-couldn't stand it if my f-family hated me, too…"

Shikamaru sighed, then poked the kid on her head. "Of course we wouldn't hate you, troublesome little sister."

This only brought on a new wave of tears… interrupted by a sickening gurgle of Shikari's stomach. She stood up straight, wincing and flinching, quickly heading towards the bathroom… only to stop and smile at Shikamaru. "Thank you _so much_," she intoned gratefully, smiling happier than Shikamaru had ever seen her, and then she ran into the bathroom and the sounds of puking filled the upstairs floor of the house.

Shikamaru blinked, then smiled and then rubbed the side of his head. "So troublesome."


	2. We're Both Different Together

**In the Light of Shadows**

**Chapter 2 – We're Both Different Together**

Naruto Uzumaki knew he was different from everyone else. Even if he didn't understand _why_.

He didn't face any physical abuse or anything, but he certainly faced a lot of neglection. When he'd go running through the streets of Konoha, the citizens would cast dirty looks his way or turn away from him. Sometimes he'd hear them mutter about "that monster," or "that blasted demon," and even if they didn't know he was there, he knew they were talking about him. He tried to make friends with the other kids, but they'd simply laugh at him and call him names before running off to some other place to play together in peace, away from the detested monster.

He was so lonely. All he had was Gramps – the Hokage, and Naruto's idol. It awed him how much everyone respected the Hokage. He wanted everything Gramps had. He wanted that respect so much it hurt.

Sometimes, Naruto, usually a ball of uncontrollable energy, simply felt far too sad and lonely to do much. On these days, he'd go to the park and sit in the shade against one of the trees, staring out at the kids playing Ninja and other games and imagining being one of them.

He met Shikari Nara on the day of his entrance into the Ninja Academy. Naruto had faced some pretty heavy ignoring from the rest of the class, and although his teacher, Iruka-sensei, seemed to like him, he could still tell that Iruka saw a demon when he looked at him. Iruka-sensei couldn't quite meet his eyes, and he looked somehow pained, as though Naruto had killed someone dear to him.

Naruto forgot about this when he saw the figure skirting around the very outside of the park, however.

She was beautiful. Shy and nervous, looking all around as though afraid of anyone seeing her. Her facial features were strange; they seemed a little boyish, though Naruto couldn't quite tell since she was still just a kid and he'd seen several girls with boyish faces. Her hair was long and silky black, and she had the most brilliant hazel eyes. She moved quietly along the edge of the park, not darting out to play with the other kids, but hanging back and hiding among the outer two rows of trees, much like Naruto himself. She wore a pretty, pink blouse and a dark blue skirt, plus girl's sneakers. She looked about one year younger than him – so seven?

Naruto had never seen her before, he realized suddenly. Hope bloomed. A possible new friend?

Swallowing nervously, he stood up and ran over to her, smiling and waving at her. "Hi!" he exclaimed, and upon him doing so, the girl whipped her head around to him. At first she looked more nervous, then her mouth fell upon in shock. Not a usual reaction – in fact, she looked somehow more like _he _did whenever his favorite ramen joint would release a new flavor of ramen. Naruto blinked. _That _was something "I'm—!" he started to say.

"Naruto!?" the girl blurted, wide-eyed. She startled and blushed when she realized that she'd accidentally interrupted him.

Naruto tilted his head, brow furrowing. How did she know his name? And even then… most people rarely called him by his actual name. A few did, like Iruka-sensei, Gramps, Teuchi, and that Shikamaru guy from class, and even Sasuke (when he wasn't calling Naruto "idiot"), but other than them, people simply didn't really do that. So hearing this complete stranger call him by his actual name, and not "monster" or "demon" threw the blond, orange-loving boy for a loop.

He blinked several times. "Uh, yeah. That's me! Naruto Uzumaki! …Believe it!" he added, almost as an afterthought; he was still so surprised that his catch phrase had "almost failed.

Muttering something to herself that sounded like a shocked, _"I didn't expect to meet him so soon," _the girl rubbed the back of her hair, blushing a little. "U-Um, it's nice to meet you, Naruto."

Naruto stared. "You… really think so?"

The girl nodded shyly.

The last Uzumaki felt like leaping up in the air and pumping his fist. Someone thought it was nice to meet him! Words rushed out of his mouth without him really thinking about them. "It's really nice to meet you too! What's your name? Wanna be friends!? Wanna play Ninja!? I'm gonna be the Hokage when I grow up, believe it!"

The girl blinked rapidly, at a loss for words. "Uh… can you say it again, one at a time?"

Naruto flushed, embarrassed. "Oh. Right." He promptly did so.

"Alright…" Shikari swallowed and started off. "So… My name's Shikari. Of course we can be friends! I don't know how we'll play Ninja with only two people, but otherwise I'd love to…" She smiled beautifully. "And I'm sure you will be if you keep at it."

Naruto stared, his lower lip quivering as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Y-You don't think I'm a monster?" he asked quietly, hoping against hope she didn't.

Shikari's eyes widened a little, sadly, and she shook her head… and somehow Naruto felt as though she were a mother looking down comfortingly at her son. "You are _not_ a monster," she told him with complete conviction, stepping up and hugging him – God, he'd never been hugged before and it felt _amazing_. The tears welled up even more now. "Anyone who tells you that is a complete idiot."

With shaking arms, Naruto hugged the girl back, marveling at how warm she was, and couldn't help but sob against her, chest heaving as he realized that the endless years of loneliness were finally over.

They hung out several days a week at the park from then on, after Naruto was out of class. Although they couldn't play Ninja with just two people, Shikari did become his sparring partner. Shikari was pretty skilled at taijutsu; she'd apparently been taught by her mom and dad, who were both ninjas. Naruto thought that was super cool! He wished he had ninja parents to teach him taijutsu!

Although Shikari would always wipe the floor with him, Naruto knew this was because he had no prior practice and was basically starting fresh. It was still frustrating, but Naruto kept getting back up and demanding they practice more until he was exhausted.

Shikari was a nice sparring partner. She would always him praise him whenever he did something right, and when he messed up, she wouldn't chide him or anything; instead, she'd calmly inform him where he had gotten something wrong and show him how to do it right. He saw noticeable improvements in his skills as time went on, something that made Naruto immensely happy. Every improvement brought him closer to Hokage!

One day a few months later, Shikari and Naruto played in the park together, sparring as usual when something unusual happened; the other kids walked up to them, laughing mean laughs.

"The freak and the monster playing together?" one of them sneered. "How fitting!"

Freak? Naruto's brow furrowed as he looked at Shikari; were they talking about her? Why had they called her a freak? They couldn't be talking about her, could they? Shikari wasn't a freak, and he couldn't see anything about her that make them call her one.

Shikari glared and moved in front of Naruto protectively. "Naruto isn't a monster!"

"Of course he is!" another kid, the first's buddy, spoke up, frowning hatefully. "My mother said so! And he has those weird whiskers, normal kids don't have that!"

"So what?" Shikari challenged with a dark glower. "Lots of people are born with lots of different things. You shouldn't call someone a monster because of what they look like! And your mom's a bitch for calling someone she doesn't even know a monster! It should be based on what they've done! And Naruto's sweet, kind, funny, and one of the best people I know! Neither you nor your mom know the first thing about him!"

Everyone stared at her, including Naruto. The blond had already been looking at her in confusion, wondering why she'd been called a freak, but now her words were making him tear up again. No one had said such kind things about him before in defense of him. It almost made him forget about what they'd called her – almost, but not quite.

Meanwhile, the kids were clearly looking for a decent retort to Shikari's defense. Especially the kid who'd called Shikari and Naruto those mean things.

"Y-Yeah, well, what does a freak like you know?" the first boy said at last, turning and stomping away. "You look even more like a freak lately! You look different, and I bet you thought we wouldn't recognize you like that, but we can still tell it's you! Loser! Come on guys, arguing with an idiot like him is pointless! That's the definition of insanity!"

"You're so smart!" one of the others cheered, walking away with him, and the rest turned to follow. "How do you know that?"

"My mom said that about my dad last night!"

"…Oh!"

Shikari continued glaring at them until they had left her and Naruto well behind, returning to their game of Ninja. Naruto blinked from the jerks, off in the other side of the park, to Shikari, from them, back to Shikari, and a third time.

"Why did they call you a freak?" Naruto asked at last. "You're not a freak, believe it! And why did they call you 'him?' What were they talking about?"

Shikari flinched, then smiled at Naruto sadly. "I can trust you… so I'll tell you." She wiped her eyes, and sensing she was distressed, Naruto hugged her, and she hugged him back. "I was born with a male body. But I'm not a boy, I'm a girl. I hate my body so much. I wish I was born with a female body. I wish I could change my body but I don't know any jutsus to do so yet…"

"I'll help you!" Naruto promised, squeezing her. "I go to the ninja academy! They said they'd teach us henge no jutsu, something that can make you transform into something else! I'll learn it and find a way to give you the body you want!"

Shikari's eyes watered. "You are such a good friend," she murmured, also squeezing him back. "I really don't know how anyone can hate you."

"We're different from them," Naruto said, smiling. "We'll be different together, believe it! And eventually they'll accept us for who we are! They'll respect us for sure!"

"Though I'll be going to the Ninja Academy too, next year, so you don't have to try to help me all on your own," Shikari chuckled, ruffling his blond hair. Naruto preened at the physical contact, something he'd lacked for years until he'd met the girl. "I can handle at least some of the work!"

Naruto winced and rubbed his arm a little bit, where he'd managed to block one of Shikari's punches during their sparring and had received a bruise as a result. "I think you can handle more than some of it," he deadpanned, and they both descended into giggles.

Two days later, the weekend ended and Naruto returned to class. That boy sitting in the back with the weird pineapple hair who always slept in class cracked an eye open when he walked in the classroom.

"Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru yawned, scooching over to make room beside him. The fat boy next to him – Choji, was that his name? – blinked in surprise at how much less space there was between them now but shrugged and continued eating chips. "You supported my sister the other day, right? Take a seat."

Naruto blinked and stared in shock.

"Sister… Your Shikari's brother?" His eyes widened. "You really mean it?"

The boy shrugged and yawned as some of the rest of the class eyed them weirdly. "Hey, you've been friends with her and you supported her, plus you seem like a pretty funny guy, so yeah. Just try not to be too loud and troublesome so I can nap, okay?"

"Shikamaru!" Iruka-sensei, pushing past Naruto and frowning at the boy as he walked to the teacher's desk. "You're not supposed to be sleeping in class in the first place!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. What a drag."

Naruto, still stunned at the turn of events, sat next to his classmate. As the last of the students filed in and Iruka-sensei started the class, Naruto nudged a drowsy Shikamaru, head in his arms, and whispered, "S-So… are we friends?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru shrugged. "Sure."

The fat boy reached over his buddy's bent-over body and offered Naruto a chip, smiling. "Chip?"

Naruto accepted the chip, now even more stunned, and munched on it dumbly. He knew that Choji only gave chips to those he considered friends.

His eyes watered and he sniffled as he wiped them.

He was just so glad to have met Shikari!


	3. A Girl in Soul, Not Body

**In the Light of Shadows**

**Chapter 3 – A Girl in Soul, Not Body**

~a few years prior to the previous chapter~

Ino Yamanaka may've been the popular girl, but she didn't let that get in the way of things she wanted. She'd help out someone being picked on if they were nice and a good person, even if doing so hurt her popularity. She was a beautiful blonde girl and she knew it, but she didn't let it get to her head, either. However, while she was under no delusion of being the most beautiful girl, she did like to give advice to help less fortunate people achieve more beauty if they so desired, be it for fashion, make-up, hair style, just about anything really. In fact, she enjoyed this so much, had she been a citizen of Planet Earth, Ino probably would have been running a beauty make-up channel on YouTube.

But she did not live on Planet Earth, and as such, she resorted to running the register for her mother's flower shop, with supervision of course, and offering her advice to anyone who wanted it, even at age six.

On her breaks, Ino liked to stand outside the shop in the warm sunlight to help get that lovely tan that she knew the boys (and the girls, Ino wasn't picky and well aware of how she had crushes on both sexes even at her young age) approved of. The warmth also just felt lovely. She liked how the sun's rays felt against her skin, slowly baking it. She liked watching all the people walking home from work or from school, or to work and school – or simply wherever they happened to be heading to. Other people being happy made Ino happy in return, especially if Ino was the cause of their happiness.

On one of these breaks, Ino happened to be staring out at the clothes store across the street, which specialized in women's clothing, when she spotted a familiar face.

She'd known the Naras ever since she was born, practically. Her family's clan was on very good terms with the other clan, after all, and the two clans went way back. Inoichi, her clan's head and also Ino's father, had introduced them at Shikamaru's birth, one day after Ino's own – not that she remembered that. She did very vaguely remember meeting Shikamaru's brother, Shikari, on his birthday, however. That had been about a year later.

Whereas Shikamaru quite often annoyed her, Shikari was much more pleasant and enjoyable. Shikamaru was simply far too lazy and unmotivated to be fun, but Shikari actually inherited some of her mother's energy. This made him a far better friend for the blonde; he didn't just sleep all the time like a bum. He was also very nice and friendly, and fun to talk to.

He was also right across the street, back to Ino as he stood in front of the women's clothing store, hand on the glass in front of a mannequin that wore a pretty dress.

Ino blinked and tilted her head, wondering why. She frowned and stood straight, walking over to him with purpose. Apparently, the boy did not notice her coming due to being too absorbed in the dress. He jumped when Ino placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him, grinning and saying, "Hey, Shikari!"

"Ino-chan!" He blushed deeply, eyes darting from the clothes to Ino and then back cyclically. "Uhhh, hi! What are you doing here?"

Ino giggled and jabbed her thumb behind her. Shikari blinked and looked in the direction she motioned to, then glanced back upon seeing her family's store. "Oh," he said dumbly. "Right. Uh, well, so—!"

"Sooo, whatcha doing?" Ino smiled beatifically. "You can tell me absolutely anything! I can keep a secret, you know!" She chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, causing him to blush again.

"Well, uh, I was…" He hesitated, then seemed to remember something, and pursed his lips before giving her a weak smile. "Y-You see, I'm actually a girl despite my body…"

Ino's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you mean you're transgender? That's all?"

"Wait, you…" Shikari stared. "You know—? You don't care?"

She shook her head and hugged the bo—girl tight. "You know my dad can enter people's minds?" Shikari nodded slowly; he'd heard about the Yamanaka clan jutsu before. "Well, sometimes what he sees is that a person may have a soul the opposite gender than their body. He told me about this once, said that it causes people to want to be the other gender than their body is."

With wide eyes, Shikari leaned forward, a shocked breath escaping her lips. "Really!? That really happens!?"  
Ino nodded confidently. "Dad actually has a day off today, he's in the back of the store right now. Want to go meet him with and see about it for yourself?"

Swallowing a little nervously – probably something to do with the fact that Inoichi Yamanaka was one of the head interrogators of the torture and interrogation department—Shikari nodded and walked with Ino back to her shop. The door chimed when they entered, Ino gripping Shikari's hand reassuringly as they went. Ino's mother smiled at them from behind the counter while they went by. The transgirl shyly glanced away before smiling back.

At last they arrived in her parent's office in the shop, and Inoichi looked up in surprise from his desk. "Hello, Ino," he greeted, eyes flicking over to Shikari. He smiled at her. "Why did you bring Shikari back here?"

Ino grinned at Shikari and squeezed his hand. "Shikari-chan's transgender, daddy!" she told him, causing Inoichi, a man with ash-blond, spiky hair, to raise his blue-green eyes in surprise. "I brought her here to show her that she has a women's soul!"

"I-In the back of my mind I couldn't help but wonder if it was really something wrong with my mind," Shikari admitted, hardly daring to believe it. "I always believed, _knew_ I was a girl, but…"

Inoichi sighed and shook his head fondly. "You have nothing to worry about, Shikari." He stood up and walked around his desk, sitting on it and smiling at Shikari. "Want me to look inside your mind for you?" he asked. "You'll be able to see your mindscape while I'm inside it."

Shikari hesitated, then nodded silently. "J-Just don't go poking around my memories."

Inoichi nodded, setting his strong jaw line and performing the clan jutsu hand seal before standing up, walking to Shikari, and placing a hand on his head.

They fell silent for a few moments, Ino watching interestedly, and then both let out a sigh as the jutsu ended and Inoichi's mind returned to his own body. He smiled at Shikari. "It's interesting how many memories you have, and I'd love to find out why – but more importantly, you're quite a beautiful girl, Shikari, aren't you?"

Shikari's eyes had started watering, and she quickly wiped them, hiccupping. "Y-Yes," she gasped, swallowing. "I… my soul really is a girl's. I looked so beautiful…"

Inoichi smiled and patted her on the head a couple times while Ino linked hands with her again. "The Yamanaka clan will always support you about this," he promised her. "We will never tell anyone you don't want to tell, and we will always be there for you if you need someone to turn to."

"Does anyone else know?" Ino asked.

"Just my brother, mother and father," Shikari replied quietly, pulling Ino a little closer. "My brother only just found out the other day, and then we told my parents. With Shikamaru's support, I'd been meaning to tell you and Chouji, too, but I haven't had much time to…"

"It's okay," Ino promised. "Chouji won't care. He doesn't care about bodies, he cares about the people inside them."

Shikari gave her a more confident smile. "Thank you. I really appreciate everything you've done for me, Ino-chan."

"Well, allow me to do one more thing for you," she said, giggling and leading the girl out of her father's office, waving goodbye to her father in the process. "You know I have an interest in fashion, right? Let me show you what to buy and help you do your make-up and stuff!"

"O-Okay." Shikari looked a little overwhelmed, but excited at the prospect. "You'll really help me? I mean, I already have a few outfits… but it would be fun to go shopping with another girl and stuff," she added.

"Of course!" Ino cheered, raising their arms up excitedly. "I can't wait to go shopping with you! It'll have to wait until I'm off of my shift, but I'll make you look super cute!"

Later that night, Ino took her friend shopping through the market, and bought her three entire outfits, plus a makeup kit designed to match with Shikari's skin tones, eye color, and lip color. Although Ino and Shikari had already been good friends, it was the start of them becoming best friends, and it became one of Ino's most cherished memories.


	4. Canon Blasting

**In the Light of Shadows**

**Chapter 4 – Canon Blasting**

Itachi Uchiha was very confused.

Two months ago, the villagers had hated the Uchihas. The other clans had been distrusting of them for the past eight years. They believed the Uchihas to have been behind the Kyuubi attack due to being able to control the Kyuubi with their eyes. And their separation from the rest of society by being forced into a compound had only increased this distrust and hatred, such that his own clan head was planning to overthrow the government.

But something had changed.

Rumors spread around the townspeople. Normally where the Uchihas were concerned, this was not a good thing. But these rumors were the friendly sort, good news sort. One day while training in stealth, he overheard a merchant mentioning how friendly Mikoto Uchiha had been to him during a sale to her, despite the fact that Itachi knew the woman had never left the compound to buy from him. Another waitress gushed to a friend another day about how generously Obito's grandmother tipped after eating at her restaurant; again, Itachi well understood that the woman had never eaten at that restaurant.

And other little things, too – like himself helping save a kid (who he'd never met in his life), or how well Sasuke interacted with the other kids (who his brother had never played with in his life), even how Naka Uchiha had defended a woman about to be raped by another villager. It wasn't just these instances, either, but whispered suggestions that maybe the clan _hadn't_ been behind the attack; after all, what would they have had to gain from it? A ruined village and deceased villagers? The complete isolation and hatred they had now? There was no benefit to the clan.

Slowly but surely, these rumors, as unfounded as they were save for the new ones about the Kyuubi attack, began to change the public's image of the Uchiha Clan over the course of two months. Voices of distrust were quieter. In the next Council Meeting, someone even suggested moving the Uchiha Clan out of the compound and back integrating them back into the rest of society. This shocked Itachi's father to his very core.

"They're changing," Fugaku breathed in confusion one night over dinner. "What caused it?"

"There are some rumors in the village," Itachi brought up for the first time. Before this, he'd kept this fact to himself. Fugaku looked at him in surprise. "Rumors about things we've been doing. People we've been helping, people we've been friendly and kind to…"

"Who started the rumors?" Fugaku demanded, looking quite uncertain what emotions to feel.

Itachi pursed his lips. "That I do not know, father," he admitted quietly.

The clan head fixed a strange, unreadable look on the ANBU member. "I want you to find this person, or people, and invite them to the Clan compound," he ordered. "I want to meet with them face to face and discover why they are trying to help us."

Itachi nodded. "Of course, father."

The Akatsuki member first went back to the original places he'd heard the rumors from. Any second-hand rumors, he tracked down the first hand sources; any first-hand rumors, he asked the person directly. He told them he was simply grateful for what they were saying and wanted to know the full details.

What he discovered was surprising – some of the rumors' first hand sources could not be found, like ghosts in the village whispering in people's ears, and others were just normal villagers who whole-heartedly believed they had seen the Uchihas doing what they described. However, none of the reported events took place midday – during Academy hours, actually, the boy noted. All of them took place either early in the morning or in the afternoon/evening after the Academy classes ended. Discovering this pattern drove Danzo's subordinate to investigate the Academy. He observed the students there quietly. At first, none of them stood out, but then he noticed something – a first year getting first-hand training in Transformation Jutsu by Iruka-sensei, outside of normal class time. The boy would even skip recess to train.

Itachi wasn't sure why, but he decided to stalk this boy home, this very feminine boy who liked wearing women's clothing and makeup and such. (Actually, Itachi quickly realized the boy was not a boy but transgender, hence the clothing and makeup, as well as the way he acted and some other people, including HER brother, talked about her.) The Sharingan user carefully used his ANBU training to go undetected as she waved to her brother – the clan heir of the Nara clan, he noted – and headed off into the main part of the village. Before she did so, however, she waited until her brother and her friends, the Jinchuuriki, the Akimichi heir, and the Yamanaka heir (what a group THAT was) had gone well ahead of her, then ducked behind a tree.

A few seconds later, to Itachi's shock, the person who came away from the tree and walked purposefully towards the village was not the Nara heir's sister, but his own mother. It wasn't a perfect copy of her, but it was still remarkably well done! This girl was _amazing_ at the Transformation Jutsu – better even than some actual Genin! The skill impressed Itachi immensely; the child had to be a genius, even disregarding the fact that she was a Nara.

The ANBU decided to make himself known and quickly walked up beside the girl. "Hello," he said with a soft smile. "That was some impressive Transformation Jutsu."

The girl jumped and turned, wide-eyed. "I-Itachi!" she gasped, face going red. She looked down at herself, then back up, quickly transforming again into a female version of her actual self. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "So you were the one who's behind the rumors in town, then?"

The girl blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Ummm… maybe?"

He smiled and ruffled the girl's hair, making her jump in surprise and then pout. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble," he said, chuckling. "Actually, my father wishes for you to come to the Uchiha Compound for dinner to thank you and find out why you were helping us out. Does next week at seven o'clock suit you?"

The girl looked lost. "Wait, wait, I'm wanted at the Uchiha Compound for dinner?" she stammered, face so red even her ears were pink. "B-But… Wait… Uh, I'll have to talk to my family?"

Itachi nodded and smiled warmly at her. This girl, who had already done so much for them – and was maybe even well on her way to making it so he wouldn't have to murder his own family. He desperately hoped this would be true. "I'll go with you to your clan's compound," he told her, smiling. "I'll wait outside for your answer. Give it to me when you find out if they will allow it."

She nodded nervously and they walked quietly to the Nara sector of the city. It was a peaceful walk for Itachi, though anything but for the young Nara girl. While they walked, he did wonder how she knew what they looked like, and how she knew his name – her nerves also seemed to indiciate she was aware of at least a part of who he was – but these questions could wait.

Once they'd arrived, Itachi waited patiently outside of the clan compound as he'd said, gaining some curious looks from some Naras leaving and heading toward the rest of the village. After about ten minutes, the girl came back, still looking pretty nervous. "M-My parents said it's okay!" she told Itachi, and he vaguely wondered what she'd told them the reason for was. But he nodded and smiled.

"Thank you," he gratefully said, bowing to the first-year Academy student. "Then please arrive at the Uchiha Compound at seven in one week—next Friday. I'll be there to help show you the way to my family's house."

The girl, still looking completely uncertain of things, nodded shyly and bowed in return. "T-Thank you, I will be there then!" she promised.

~o~

"Sooo," Shikaku Nara said with a twinkle in his eye as Shikari returned to the back porch, where Shikamaru and his dad played Shogi in the sunlight. "Why is my cute daughter wanted at the Uchiha Compound?"

Shikamaru blinked at Shikari as she nervously rubbed an arm. "U-Um… I dunno," she said, clearly lying, again making Shikamaru blink and this time narrow his eyes. "I-I've been friendly with Sasuke-senpai a bit… maybe it's because of that…?"

"Does my daughter have a boyfriend~?" Shikaku practically sang teasingly, making the heir's sister jump and BLUSH.

"N-No, I don't!" Shikari said, completely pink-cheeked. "A-And it wouldn't be Sasuke-senpai anyway!"

Shikamaru sighed, then smirked, deciding to tease his sister himself. "So then you like boys?"

Shikari pouted, burying her face in her hands. "Shikkun!" she whined miserably. "You two are so _troublesome_!" She stomped past them, off the porch, and plopped herself down on the grass, laying in the warm sun.

"I don't hear a _no~!_" Shikamaru's father called, to Shikari's vast embarrassment.

~o~

One week passed, and Friday arrived with a gentle rain. Shikari walked to the Uchiha Compound under an umbrella, heart beating because of her nerves. Itachi, waiting for her as he'd mentioned he would at the compound gates, could tell how nervous she was just from the way she walked. It was an unusually stiff gait, with her steps being unusually shaky. She did not currently use the Transformation Jutsu; probably because maintaining it for extended periods of time required large amounts of chakra. Instead, she was only in her women's clothing and makeup.

"H-Hello," she greeted him upon reaching him. Itachi smiled and greeted her back before leading her off to his family's house.

When they arrived, formal introductions were made, as per standard procedure. Sasuke seemed to recognize her and was confused why she had joined them for dinner. Fugaku looked surprised the rumor-spreader was just an Academy girl, while Mikoto was impressed with how such a young student was so proficient in Transformation Jutsu.

"So," Fugaku began over a delicious meal of brown fried rice, soba noodles glazed with teriyaki sauce, and thinly cut beef so tender it practically fell apart in Itachi's mouth, "why did you decide to help us?"

Sasuke blinked and tilted his head. "Help us?" he asked in confusion, looking from Fugaku to Shikari.

"She's been spreading positive rumors about us to make the villagers regain trust in us," Mikoto told him when Fugaku ignored him.

The girl nervously swallowed some beef before looking up and meeting Fugaku's eyes. "Because I don't think the Uchiha Clan deserves the disrespect they receive," she said with full sincerity. "I do not believe that you were the cause of the Kyuubi's attack on the village eight years ago. I never understood why people thought you would do it. I couldn't see what you had to gain from it. But I'm only one person, and I'm not well-liked in the village anyway, because…" She trailed off, blushing and glancing away a little.

"Because you're transgender?" Itachi supplied with a supportive smile.

She blushed and nodded meekly. "Yeah. So I decided rather than simply doing it myself, which wouldn't have worked, I would transform into you guys using the Transformation Jutsu I was taught at the Academy."

"How did you get so good at it so quickly that people couldn't tell you were a fake?" Mikoto asked with a raised eyebrow. "At such a young age?"

"I got extra lessons from Iruka-sensei, and my parents helped, too," Shikari said quietly, bowing her head and smiling softly. "I've been blessed with people I can trust to be very supportive of me this time," she added so softly Itachi almost didn't hear it. He wouldn't have had he not been sitting right beside her. He blinked and looked at her questioningly, but she didn't seem to notice.

Sasuke, listening to all of this intently, looked at Shikari with wide eyes. "I can't believe you wanted to help us so bad…" he mumbled in surprise.

"I see," Fugaku mused, nodding. "My family and my clan appreciates your attempts to help us regain favor with the village."

Shikari pursed her lips and then glanced back up seriously. "Uchiha-sama, if I may?" she said, Fugaku raising an eyebrow but allowing her to continue. "Although the initial reason the villagers distrust you and the Uchiha clan at large is because they believe you all were behind the Kyuubi Attack, compounding upon that initial distrust is the fact that you are rarely seen in society. This feeds the fears they already had, and only festers more distrust. If you want to end their treatment of you, I believe the best way to do that would be to interact with the villagers more and show them their image of you is incorrect. Bad ideas need to be attacked directly. Letting them sit unchallenged only causes them to grow."

"Very well-said," Fugaku appraised, studying her curiously. "You seem to have a great deal of maturity for someone so small."

Shikari's ears grew pink and she rubbed her arm. "W-Well, I've had personal experience with that… a-and I couldn't understand the language at all at first so I studied it a lot at the library and stuff…"

Mikoto giggled and whispered to Itachi, "She's adorable."

Fugaku fell silent as he ate his supper, and Itachi carefully watched him as he closed his eyes and thought things over. "I don't think I would have believed this two months ago," he said at last after swallowing a forkful of fried rice. "I'm still not entirely convinced your clan hasn't put you up to this, perhaps to form an alliance with the Uchiha."

Shikari stiffened and frowned. "I'm doing this independently!" she insisted.

He gave her a steady look. "Then how did you know what we looked like?"

She paused a moment. "I'm fairly close friends with Sasuke-senpai, Uchiha-sama," she explained. "He showed me pictures of some of his family members once."

Sasuke blinked and started to open his mouth, then winced and closed it. Itachi looked at them to see Shikari's foot return to position; she must've kicked him. So it was a lie – but then, what was the real reason?

Regardless, Fugaku appeared to accept this. He nodded. "I'm still not entirely convinced, but very well. And despite my doubts, the proof of the effects your actions have caused is undeniable." He shook his head in disbelief. "Just the other week, the Council talked about undoing the separation of my clan from the village!"

Shikari's eyes widened. "I… I've had that much of an effect?" she breathed, stunned. "Just me…?"

Fugaku nodded. "It was quickly dismissed by the other Council members, but it was still brought up – for the first time in years. Which is why I will take into consideration what you are saying while previously, I may have dismissed it as mere unfounded idealistic optimism."

Sasuke turned to look happily at his father, while the young Nara let out a breath. "Thank you, Uchiha-sama," she said sincerely, smiling brightly.

Dinner ended soon after and Itachi escorted the transgender girl back out to the compound gates. As he did so, looking at darkening sky, he couldn't help but feel that it was an unusually warm, bright night.


End file.
